Tactical guide for points, miles, and free money!

Year in Review – 2017

One of the goals of Valuetactics.com is to prove that these tactics are worthwhile. To that end, I provide monthly reports of our household points and miles activity. I also try to provide semi-monthly updates of our other related activity. This might include travel planning, canceling or applying for credit cards, additional point/mile earning opportunities, and various other value tactics we hear about or use ourselves. The whole purpose is not to show off, but to inspire you to take advantage of these tactics yourself!

My wife and I don’t do manufactured spending. We don’t do extreme couponing. We don’t apply for new credit cards as often as humanly possible. We simply put all our spending on credit cards, strategically apply for good card offers, and make use of other miscellaneous savings tactics. I think my monthly totals updates are a good representation of what a normal couple could expect, if they take advantage of the tactics on this site.

2017 Totals

Without further ado, here’s how we ended up for 2017. I track redemptions based on the year in which the booking was made; not the year in which the travel actually takes place.

Analysis

In last year’s annual report, you will see our total value for the year was almost twice as high. The main explanation for this is that in late 2016 I planned my 2017 Europe trip (on which I woefully underreported!). Since I report the redemptions based on when I book the trip – not when the trip actually happens – that whole value was added to the 2016 total. I am considering another summer trip to Europe again in 2018, but I haven’t booked anything as of yet.

Hiking in the Alps on my Euro2017 trip. The net value of points and miles bookings for this trip was almost $6,100!

I’m happy to say the credit card interest we paid in 2017 was in the single digits. The $938.84 in interest in fees is largely comprised of annual fees. The most noteworthy is the $450 fee on Nicoleen’s Chase Sapphire Reserve. The benefits of this card have paid for the fee many times over. One benefit I haven’t quantified were the several airport lounge visits we were able to make because of the Priority Pass Select membership that is a benefit of the Reserve.

You can do it!

I show these results not to brag, but to motivate you to capture some value of your own! Here are some of my favorite articles to guide you:

The following are good examples of planning a trip and how the points and mileage usage breaks down. If you’re already in the game and need to hone your skills at points and miles redemption, check these out for some ideas: